Bible Study: The cost of rejecting God

Romans 1:18-32

Click here to read the passage, Romans 1:18-32.

The Cost of Rejecting God

Main Idea

When people reject the truth about God, he allows them to follow their sinful desires, which leads to moral and spiritual decay.

Summary

Before Paul gets to the good news in Romans 3:21, he gives us the bad news.

His message is clear: None is righteous. In this passage, he addresses the Gentiles. He will get to the Jews in Chapter 2.

Paul spends a lot of time talking about human depravity and God’s righteous judgment. That is hard for many people to hear — and I know of people who have rejected the gospel because this passage challenges their modern-day belief that people are basically good.

But Paul has given us a gift. Until we know we need the gospel, we will not cry out in repentance toward God and in faith in the Lord Jesus.

Tony Merida, a Baptist pastor in Raleigh, N.C., writes in “Exalting Jesus in Romans”:

“Paul says that the whole array of sins that characterizes humanity has its roots in the soil of idolatry. Sin problems are worship problems. … Idols can involve money, sex, approval, achievement, power, family, and a host of other things that can actually be good things when viewed rightly. We should be thankful for this portion of Romans because Paul shows us that real life begins by worshiping the Creator God, not created things.”

In Romans 1:18-32, Paul explains that God has made himself known through creation, so people are without excuse. But instead of honoring God, humanity exchanged his truth for lies and have worshiped created things.

As a result, God gave them over to sinful desires, degrading passions, and a depraved mind.

This passage serves a powerful indictment of sin and a sobering warning of what happens when God is rejected.

Key Takeaways

1. God’s wrath is real and active — God’s wrath isn’t just about future judgment—it’s already seen in the present, through the consequences people face when they reject him.

2. Everyone knows about God — Creation clearly shows God’s power and nature, so no one has an excuse for ignoring him.

3. Sin begins with rejecting God — When people turn from God, they turn to idols, putting created things in his place.

4. God lets people go their own way — When truth is rejected, God gives people over to their desires, which leads to increasing sin and brokenness.

5. Moral decay is the result of spiritual rebellion — When God is pushed aside, it affects every part of life — thoughts, behaviors, and relationships.

Quotes

• John Stott (Anglican pastor who died in 2011): “The history of the world confirms that idolatry leads to immorality. The human being is by nature a worshiper. If he rejects God, he will worship something else.”

• Tim Keller (Presbyterian pastor who died in 2023): “The essence of sin is not so much breaking God’s rules, but putting yourself in God’s place.”

• Thabiti Anyabwile (Protestant pastor and former Muslim serving in Washington, D.C.): "This passage reminds us that the worst judgment God can give is to let us have our way without him."

• Tony Merida (Baptist pastor in Raleigh): "Romans 1 isn’t just about ‘those people out there’ — it’s a mirror showing what happens when any heart turns away from God."

Questions

1. What sticks out to you in the Key Takeaways and the Quotes, and why?

2. How does idolatry affect a person’s thinking and behavior, according to Paul?

3. What are some of the ways that unbelieving people suppress the truth about God? Is the church ever guilty of suppressing certain parts of God’s truth? In what ways?

4. What does it mean that “God gave them up,” a phrase Paul uses three times (vv. 24, 26, 28)?

5. How do we see this downward spiral at work in today’s culture?

6. How does this set the stage for Paul’s message of salvation?

7. How can we speak truth in love to a world described in this passage?

Personal Questions

These are questions to ask yourself. I will not ask them during our Bible study.

• Is there anything in my life that could justifiably incur the wrath of God?

• Is there any contemporary “idol” in my life? Anything to which I have given loyalty and devotion which should be directed solely to God?